Proving a Point
by TLY
Summary: Sam is making progress in her relationship with Brooke but when she is challenged by a fellow classmate, it pulls her into a series of undesirable events. Will she make it through this with Brooke and Haley's help?
1. Chapter 01

**One Tree Hill: Proving a Point**

**Author: L**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own One Tree Hill or any of its characters.

**Author's Note:** I really love One Tree Hill and this is the first story I've ever written for the show so I hope it turns out okay.

* * *

Chapter 1

* * *

"Sam!" Brooke called, knocking on the bedroom for the third time that morning. "Wake up! I've let you sleep for an extra fifteen minutes but if you don't get up now, you're going to be late."

There was an annoyed muffled groan from the other side of the door as something thumped against it. Shaking her head, Brooke hurried back to the kitchen just in time to take the saucepan off of the cooker as the eggs started to burn. She took the knife and fork off of the table and cut the burnt parts away before piling them onto a plate.

While she was in the midst of pouring a cup of coffee, there was a knock on the front door and she hurried towards it, hands still occupied as she shouted over her shoulder, "Sam! Wake up _now_!" Awkwardly balancing the jug and the cup, she opened the door to reveal her best friend. "Hey, what are you doing here so early?"

Scurrying back to the kitchen, she called once again, "Sam! You have a minute to get your ass out here now or Haley and I will launch a double-attack on you." Turning back to Haley, she offered her the half-filled cup in her hand and reached into the cupboard for two more. "Haley, can you do me a huge favour please? Victoria is insisting on a meeting this morning and I won't have time to drive Sam to school. I was wondering –"

"I'll drive her," Haley interrupted with a smile. "Actually, the reason why I'm here this early is to talk to you about Sam." Taking a sip of her coffee, her gaze darted towards Sam's still-closed bedroom door. She didn't want to ruin the surprise for her.

Brooke, on the other hand, didn't interpret Haley's words optimistically. At this moment, she was more worried than curious. "What did she do? Tell me she didn't back-chat to any of the teachers or get into any fights," she pleaded.

Haley laughed and quickly cleared away any misunderstandings. "No, it's nothing like that. I just wanted to tell you that you should make room on that fridge for another A-plus essay." She laughed again at Brooke's reaction as she squealed happily. "She's doing really well in class."

The bedroom door opened and Sam walked out, arms hanging by her side as she dragged her feet to the kitchen. "Okay, I'm up and I'm dressed. You don't have to squeal so loudly." She took the coffee from Brooke and glared at her. "You're not forgiven for waking me up this morning."

Rolling her eyes, Brooke placed the plate filled with the non-burnt eggs in front of her as Sam muttered a grumpy "good morning" to Haley. Instead, Sam reached for the other plate and started eating. When Brooke started to protest, she mumbled sarcastically with a mouthful of food, "I prefer the burnt eggs."

"Don't talk with your mouth full," Brooke reminded her as she made a failed attempt at switching the plates. "Sam, stop eating the burnt eggs."

"If you didn't want me to eat them then you shouldn't have burned them in the first place." She was surprised to find that Brooke didn't retort to her sarcastic remark. Looking up, she realised that Brooke was smiling happily at her. Sam, who was confused by this, pushed away from the table and muttered, "You're freaking me out. Come on, you said we were going to be late."

Haley slid off her seat and walked after her. "I'm taking you to school today. Your mo– Brooke has a meeting," she informed her, hoping that Sam didn't notice the slip. Haley saw no problem in referring to Brooke as Sam's mom but Brooke had put a taboo on the word because she didn't want it to scare Sam away.

"I'm really sorry, Sam," Brooke said from the kitchen. Draining her coffee, she called, "Have a good day and stop by the store after school if you want. I promise I won't make you help out."

Sam rolled her eyes but let a smile play on her lips. "I'll see you after school," she told a grinning Brooke before following Haley to her car.

* * *

Unlike with any of her other lessons before lunch, Sam wasn't desperately longing for it to end because she thoroughly enjoyed Haley's – _Mrs Scott_'s – English Literature class; not that she would ever admit it. To her right, she could hear a girl counting down from one hundred and twenty.

"Okay, I know it's nearly time for lunch so I'm going to make this quick." Haley smiled as she stood up from her seat and started returning the latest homework assignment to the students. When she passed Sam, she whispered, "Stay behind after class."

Disappointment coursed through Sam as she picked up her paper but it was quickly replaced by a smile when she saw her grade.

"What did you get?" the girl on her right asked.

Sam immediately dropped her smile and shrugged as she slung her bag over her shoulder. "It was an average grade."

Hovering behind, she waited for the classroom to clear out before making her way to Haley's desk. "Why did you want me to see me? I didn't think I did _that_ badly," Sam said while twisting her lips into a smile for a brief second.

"I wanted to congratulate you," Haley replied warmly. "Well done, Sam. I've been really impressed with your essays and I know Brooke is going be really proud of your A-plus."

"Are you sure you're not being biased?" smirked Sam. "You are Brooke's best friend."

"Trust me Sam, if your work was not good enough to be an A-plus then I wouldn't have graded it an A-plus. You earned it. Your essay was amazing." Gesturing towards the door, Haley told her, "Keep it up, Sam. You can go and enjoy lunch now."

Allowing herself to smile a little longer, she thanked Haley, although not without a hint of playful sarcasm, and left the classroom, closing the door behind her. Before she could take another step, she heard someone clear their throat loudly. The girl who had sat next to her before was leaning against the wall with a smug expression.

"What do you want?" snapped Sam.

Swinging her brunette hair over her shoulders, the girl lazily pushed herself off of the wall so she was stood in front of Sam. "Wow, what a geek."

Seething instantly, Sam only remembered to keep her temper down when she saw Haley through the window on the door. "I am not a geek," she gritted angrily through her teeth.

"You don't look like one," continued the girl. "Yet you act like one. I mean your idea of an average grade is an A-plus and that's your fourth A-plus in a row since I transferred to this school." Smirking at Sam, she added, "Of course, seeing as the English Lit teacher is friends with your mom, I guess you can get good grades and not be a geek at the same time."

"Why are you even talking to me? Is it your duty as a cheerleader to rip the geeks apart?" Sam had put air quotes around the word 'geeks' and her voice was miles away from calm.

The girl looked offended as she retorted, "I am _not_ a cheerleader."

"Really?" smirked Sam. "I saw your grade and with a D like that, how can you _not_ be a cheerleader?" Sam felt bad about the remark because Haley had been a cheerleader but she was also the smartest person that Sam knew. Brooke and Peyton had also been cheerleaders but as far as Sam knew, they got decent grades.

"Getting a D doesn't make me a cheerleader," the girl told her matter-of-factly.

"Getting an A-plus doesn't make me a geek," Sam responded smoothly, getting extremely bored of the conversation. She didn't even know her name let alone pay any attention to her in lessons so why were they having such a long conversation?

"I guess I set myself up for that one," Sam heard her mutter as she started to make her escape. "Wait!" she called when she realised that Sam was walking away. "I'm Jo," she offered as she fell into step with her.

"Look," Sam began in a less-than-sincere voice with a matching expression. She stopped and turned to face Jo. "I don't even know you aside from the fact that you sit next to me in my English Lit class so I don't get why you're trying to pick a fight."

"I'm not trying to pick a fight," Jo muttered.

Sam shot her a sceptical look and laced her words with heavy sarcasm. "Oh yeah, calling me a geek and accusing me of only getting good grades because the teacher is best friends with my m– well, it's hardly the ideal way to make friends."

"Sorry," Jo intercepted quickly. "Well, I couldn't help overhearing your conversation with Mrs Scott so I was just curious."

Rolling her eyes, Sam muttered, "Don't worry about it; every frigging person in this school stereotypes or _is_ stereotyped."

Ignoring her comment, there was a mischievous glint in Jo's eyes as an idea came to mind. "Why don't we test my theory out?" she smirked.

Narrowing her eyes at the girl suspiciously, Sam asked, "What are you talking about?"

They pushed open the double doors and strode outside, welcoming the breeze with open arms. "Well, if Mrs Scott is really as honest with her grading as you say she is then there wouldn't be any harm in switching our essays."

"You want me to hand in your D-grade work?" questioned Sam incredulously, not waiting for a reply. "What makes you think I want to break my A-plus streak?"

"What's the matter? Do you not want to be proven wrong?" Jo shot her a smile full of fake curiosity but deep down, she knew that no one would be able to back down if they were asked a question like that.

Without thinking it over, Sam tried to hide her irritation as she muttered, "Fine. We'll meet out here tomorrow morning and switch them before we have to go to class."

Sam glared at her as she started towards the school vending machines, leaving Jo looking impressed by her attitude.


	2. Chapter 02

**One Tree Hill: Proving a Point**

**Author: L**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own One Tree Hill or any of its characters.

**Author's Note:** I really want to thank everyone for their reviews. I never expected to receive such a positive response. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

* * *

Chapter 2

* * *

Throughout the rest of the school day, Sam couldn't stop thinking about the deal she had made with Jo. Haley would instantly notice a difference in Sam's work not to mention Jo's too. She would definitely mention something to Brooke which means that Sam will probably end up grounded.

She was completely absorbed in her thoughts and ended up walking right past Clothes Over Bros without realising. Hurrying into the store, she hoped that Brooke hadn't already seen her.

"Hey honey," Brooke smiled when Sam entered. "How was your day?"

"Boring," muttered Sam, throwing her school bag onto the floor before sitting down lazily on one of the couches nearby.

Brooke set down her sketches on the counter and made her way over to Sam, sitting down next to her. There was a flicker of guilt across Sam's face but Brooke didn't notice.

"Wasn't Haley supposed to give you back your homework assignment today? What grade did you get?" asked Brooke. She couldn't help bringing it up straight away.

"_Subtle_," Sam muttered sarcastically under her breath. "I can tell that Haley has already told you my grade so why do you bother asking?"

Rolling her eyes, she opened her bag and pulled out the essay, handing it to a beaming Brooke. Sam never let Brooke read anything that she wrote, aside from her English Literature homework, so she knew how excited Brooke was.

"I'm so proud of you, sweetie. You've been doing amazing in Haley's class." A customer came into the store and Brooke stood up but not before turning back to Sam and repeating, "Sam, I'm really proud of you. You deserve a reward."

Sensing an opportunity and taking it, Sam asked hurriedly, "Can I borrow your laptop to finish my latest homework assignment?"

"Of course," replied Brooke. She picked her laptop up from the counter and handed it to Sam.

Normally, Sam would do her essays by hand even though Brooke kept insisting on buying her a laptop but Jo would never get away with handing it in if it wasn't typed. After she finished the title of the essay, she paused and groaned. She didn't even know Jo's last name.

"What's wrong?" Brooke asked. She had finished with her customer and heard Sam. "Since when does an A-plus student have any trouble with her homework?" she teased.

Recovering quickly, Sam said sarcastically, "I'm not having trouble. I just can't be bothered to do it. Anyway, I doubt you spent every moment doing your homework when you were my age."

Brooke knew this was true but she wasn't going to give Sam a get-out-of-doing-homework free pass. "Haley did," she grinned. "Sam, why don't you and I go shopping for a new laptop? It can be your reward for staying out of trouble."

Sam suppressed a moan. The more Brooke praised her, the guiltier she felt. She never cared what any of her foster parents thought but Brooke had done a lot for her. She could almost see the disappointment on Brooke and Haley's faces.

"I don't need a laptop," insisted Sam.

"Really?" smirked Brooke, raising an eyebrow at the scene before her. "Because from where I'm standing, it looks to me like you do."

"I thought I would relieve Haley of my messy handwriting for once."

"Your handwriting is not messy," Brooke told her warmly.

"Compared to yours, of course it's not," retorted Sam.

Enjoying their playful banter, Brooke grinned and said, "After you finish your homework, you can stay here and help me close up tonight." When Sam opened her mouth to protest, she swung around and said over her shoulder, "That's what you get for insulting my handwriting."

While Brooke tended to another customer, Sam stared at the screen for a long second. Was there any point in putting any effort into the assignment? Well, it would make her feel good knowing that, albeit unbeknownst to anyone else, she had gotten another A-plus. Oh God, she _is_ a geek.

Taking a deep sigh, she watched as the words started to form on the screen.

* * *

"Sam! Wake –"

Brooke opened Sam's bedroom door the next day to find her dressed and sitting at her desk. When she heard the door open, Sam had jumped and thrown her essay across the floor, avoiding Brooke's suspicious gaze.

"You're awake," Brooke said in confusion, talking mostly to herself. When was Sam ever awake on time? Averting her gaze to the scattered pieces of paper on the wooden floor, Brooke raised her eyebrow and asked, "Sam, what's going on?"

"Nothing," Sam replied lamely, knowing that Brooke wouldn't accept her excuse. She hastily tried to come up with an explanation as Brooke folded her arms across her chest which meant business. "My essay was bothering me all night so I'm just reading over it for any mistakes." Sam wondered how likely it was for Brooke to believe that she woke up early to check over her homework.

Unfortunately, it wasn't very likely.

"I normally have to get a bulldozer in the morning, and that's only to wake you up, not get you out of bed," Brooke said slowly, not buying her explanation. "Do you honestly expect me to believe that you woke up just to check on your essay?"

"Well, it's for English Lit," shrugged Sam. "You know how much I enjoy that class." Knowing that it would appease Brooke's suspicions, Sam added sarcastically, "And I figured that if I woke up earlier, I wouldn't have to face your burnt eggs again."

"Sam, your essay is going to be fantastic," Brooke told her in a motherly tone. "Breakfast will be ready in five minutes. Don't worry, I kept it safe with toast today," she grinned as she closed the door behind her.

Rolling her eyes, Sam waited until she was safe before scooping up the papers from the floor. She'd done way worst things in the past so why was she panicking so much this time?

Grabbing her bag from the corner of her room, Sam slipped the essay into it and left her room, careful not to look at the fridge door. She didn't need to be reminded of what she was doing. Forcing herself to swallow the toast, and the guilt that had risen into her throat, Sam headed towards the front door after informing Brooke that she was going to school.

"Wait, why are you going to school so early?" asked Brooke.

Sam cursed herself silently for slipping up again. "I thought I would walk today." Brooke obviously didn't believe her. "What? When I don't want to wake up and go to school, you moan at me, and when I do, you act like I'm planning a heist." Ironically, Sam's sarcasm managed to get her out of trouble again.

"Okay, sorry," Brooke protested. "I'll see you later, honey."

Waving her hand in response, Sam slammed the door behind her and started trekking along the route to the school. Her hand was constantly slipping into the bag, touching the edge of the essay as a reassurance that it was still there.

As she approached the school, she noticed Jo leaning against a post by the car park. Striding over to her, Sam hastily pulled out the essay and shoved it towards Jo, glaring at her.

"Good morning to you too," grinned Jo, chewing her gum noisily.

"Just give me the essay," Sam snapped at her.

Still smirking, Jo unzipped her bag and pulled out three pieces of mildly creased paper. Sam rolled her eyes impatiently which only made the smile on Jo's face widen.

Snatching the essay from Jo's hands, Sam muttered a sarcastic "Thanks" and headed into the school. Sam ignored Jo, who was walking in sync with her, knowing that a scene was not what she needed right now, especially since her first lesson of the day was English Literature.

"Good morning class," Haley smiled when her students were seated. "Take out your homework and place them on your desks for me to collect. If anyone does not have their homework then I expect to see you at the end of the lesson with an explanation."

Hesitating, Sam wondered which would get her in more trouble – having not done her homework or handing in a piece of homework that was not up to her usual standard. Either way, Haley would talk to Brooke about it. The first option would get her in a sticky situation seeing as Brooke had watched her complete it yesterday.

"Sam?" Haley asked, breaking into the girl's thoughts. She watched her worriedly and questioned in a low voice, "Are you okay?" When Sam nodded, Haley waved the stack of papers in her hand as a gesture. "Do you have your homework?"

Sam nodded once again and handed the essay to her teacher, avoiding any eye contact with her. Haley could read her like an open book and Sam would rather Haley figured it out by herself than with her assistance. She felt Haley hover by her desk for another second before hearing her footsteps advance to the front of the class.

"I know you are all familiar with William Shakespeare's _Romeo and Juliet_ but we will be exploring the play with a lot more depth than you have done before," Haley explained, sweeping her gaze across the classroom and landing on Sam again as they began to open their books.

Glancing up, Sam noticed Haley shooting a look towards the stack of essays. _Please don't look through the homework in the lesson,_ Sam pleaded silently. Jo was thinking the same thing because she hadn't thought up an excuse yet, but Haley was thinking the exact opposite to them.


	3. Chapter 03

**One Tree Hill: Proving a Point**

**Author: L**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own One Tree Hill or any of its characters.

* * *

Chapter 3

* * *

Sam didn't look up once during the rest of her lesson. She quickly threw her book into her bag and hurried out of the classroom but by the time she reached the door, a stern voice stopped her.

"Sam, stay behind."

Turning around slowly, Sam walked over to Haley's desk.

"Sam, what's going on?" asked Haley. When Sam remained silent, she sighed and held up the essay that Sam had handed in. "At first glance, this essay is a C-grade. This isn't like you, Sam. Your writing has always been amazing and I thoroughly enjoy reading your work. I don't understand how the standard of your writing has slipped so much in such a short time."

"I was having an off-day," she shrugged, trying to brush off Haley's suspicions.

"Was the topic too hard?" Haley pressed on in a softer tone.

Glaring at her teacher, Sam snapped, "I'm _fifteen_, Haley, not five. It wasn't hard, okay? I just didn't put enough effort into it. Can't you cut me some slack? I've already got four A-pluses in my homework assignments this semester. You can't expect me to get A-pluses for every essay."

"First of all, in school, you call me Mrs Scott, not Haley," she said in a hard voice. Her expression had turned strict but Sam didn't back down. "Sam, I am not berating you for your grade but this essay does not sound like anything you've written before. The structure and wording is completely different from your previous work. As your teacher, it is my job to help you work to the best of your abilities and I know you can do better than this. If you like, I will give you the opportunity to hand in another essay so you can raise your grade."

"Fine, I'll redo the essay," Sam muttered. She stormed to the door, ignoring Haley's response, and slammed it shut. She felt bad for how she had just acted but she would suffer the consequences tonight when she has to face both Haley _and_ Brooke.

Sensing someone watching her, she spun around to find Jo leaning against the wall once again. "Why are you always spying on me?" Sam glowered at her, still angry after her talk with Haley. "Don't worry, you're not in trouble," she added sarcastically.

"What happened?" Jo questioned.

Sighing, Sam started down the hall to her next lesson and explained, "Let's just say there's a huge difference between the way you and I write." Turning a corner, she added with a little more sincerity, "You got a C by the way. Congratulations."

Breaking away from the crowd of students, Sam started to walk into her Geometry class but she felt someone tug at her elbow and stopped.

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry for suggesting that we trade essays. I was being selfish," Jo admitted. "I have two older sisters and they were both brilliant in high school so I always feel like my parents are disappointed in my grades. I saw an opportunity to get a better grade and I just wanted to impress my parents for once. I did feel bad though so I tried really hard with the essay."

Hearing this, Sam couldn't help softening her attitude towards Jo. "Look, don't worry about it. I understand how you feel. Well, at least I've proved Mrs Scott grades fairly." She decided not to mention the second chance Haley had offered her.

"I should get to lesson," Jo mumbled. "I'll see you later."

Jo turned and walked down the hallway while Sam entered the classroom. She sat down in her normal seat at the back of the classroom, hoping that the day would pass by as slowly as possible. She was dreading having to face an angry Brooke tonight and she was definitely not looking forward to it.

* * *

After school that day, Sam had wandered around Tree Hill for almost an hour and a half before she realised that she couldn't put this off any longer. She had been shouted at plenty of times in the past so she was pretty much prepared for this.

Quietly slipping the key into the lock, she opened the door carefully, trying her best to keep the noise level down to a minimum.

"Sit down," Brooke ordered firmly.

The voice made Sam jump and she glanced around reluctantly to see Haley standing next to a furious looking Brooke. Sam shut the door slowly and dragged herself to the couch. To her surprise, it was Haley who spoke first and not Brooke.

"Well, I figured out why you got a C on your essay," Haley said in the same hard tone she had used earlier. She was holding an essay in each hand; Sam instantly recognised the one she had typed out and the one she had handed in. "I don't get why you would trade essays with Josephine Thomas. I understand why she may want you to do her homework but why would you agree to this? Did you honestly not believe that you would get caught?"

There was a long silence until Brooke broke it in an icy tone. "Sam, you are already grounded for a whole week and for each minute you choose to remain silent, I will be adding another week onto your punishment."

"I was just proving a point," Sam muttered under her breath but it was loud enough for them to hear. "And you could be a little more grateful," Sam added, shooting Haley an annoyed look even though she knew it would get her into more trouble.

"Samantha!" Brooke chastised her immediately. "You're grounded for two weeks now."

"I think we're going to need more of an explanation than that," Haley told Sam in a surprisingly calm tone. She was struggling to understand the abrupt change in her behaviour.

Sinking into the couch, Sam stayed quiet. She wasn't friends with Jo but she did feel sorry for her, and she wouldn't put it past Haley to find out the truth without any help.

"Sam," Brooke prompted in a warning tone.

Her eyes were fixed on the floor, hiding her guilt. She could hear the disappointment breaking through the anger in Brooke's voice.

"Jo thought I was only getting A-pluses in English Lit because Haley was friends with you and I wanted to show her that she was wrong so we decided to switch our essays," Sam mumbled in a low voice. "I know it was a stupid thing to do but at least we've proved your innocence."

Haley exhaled softly and said, "Sam, you must have known she was deliberately provoking you into agreeing to do her essay for her. You get A-pluses because your work is brilliant. I'm disappointed in you, Sam, because you should have known better. I appreciate the fact that you were defending me as well as yourself but I cannot condone what you have done."

"What's the big deal?" protested Sam. "We can redo the assignment if you want, or you can switch the essays back, _or_ you can just pretend that this never happened."

"Sam," sighed Haley. "I cannot let this slide." She glanced at Brooke apologetically and continued, "I'm afraid I will have to inform the Principal of this. I'm sorry Sam. This is a really serious situation and it is not something I can – or _should_ – hide from the school."

Brooke's anger swiftly subsided as she threw Haley a pleading look. "Couldn't you –" She immediately stopped and glared at Sam. "Go to your room," she ordered. "I will discuss this with you later." When she heard the door slam shut, Brooke turned to Haley again. "Haley, please don't tell the Principal. I know I'm being really selfish but Sam's done so well lately."

"Brooke, this is putting me in a really awkward position," Haley sighed. "It was suspected favouritism of Sam which caused this to happen in the first place so I don't think it will help the situation if the school finds out I hid this from them."

"I know, and I feel really bad for asking you to do this, but you could get them to redo the essay and set them extra assignments as punishment," Brooke suggested. "I will ground her for life and you can ask Sam to babysit Jamie whenever you want... for _free_," she added hopefully.

Haley felt torn between her loyalty to her best friend and to her job. "Do you remember when we were seniors and you stole the Calculus exam?" asked Haley. Brooke grimaced at the memory and didn't say anything. "The school fired me as a tutor while Rachel took the blame for cheating and ended up expelled."

"I confessed in the end," Brooke said defensively.

"You confessed on the day of graduation," Haley reminded her. "I know Sam is a good kid but if she does something wrong then she needs to face the consequences. As a mom, you want the best for your children but you also need to teach them to accept responsibility for their actions."

There was nothing Brooke could say to counter Haley's argument. "Fine," she eventually relented. "Do you think you can get the Principal to give Sam a lighter punishment though?"

"Brooke!" Haley shot her a disbelieving look.

"I should probably go and talk to her," Brooke murmured, striding towards Sam's room and knocking on the door. "Sam, can I come in?" There was no reply. "Sam, I'm coming in whether you allow me to or not." The only response Brooke received was silence. "Sam?"

Opening the door, Brooke was furious to find an empty room and an open window. "Why bother making doors when the future generations are only going to use the windows?"

Haley had heard Brooke muttering angrily to herself and approached Sam's bedroom to see what had happened. Brooke was holding a piece of paper in her hand and when she noticed Haley standing in the doorway, she passed it to her in silence.

There was one word written on there in Sam's handwriting: _Hypocrite_.

"I guess she heard us," Haley said softly.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Haley made her decision by looking at the situation from a friend, a teacher and a mother's point of view. She chooses to tell the Principal because she wants Sam to learn from this. Thank you for reading, reviewing and supporting this story.


	4. Chapter 04

**One Tree Hill: Proving a Point**

**Author: L**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own One Tree Hill or any of its characters.

**Author's Note:** I'm not satisfied with this chapter but it does provide a foundation for the rest of the story. Thank you for your continuous support.

* * *

Chapter 4

* * *

Sam didn't know why she was here. Her feet had led her from Brooke's house to where she was standing right now. It continued to control her body as she walked up the steps and knocked gently on the door. She waited a few seconds before knocking once more.

The door swung open to reveal Lucas. "Hey Sam," he smiled although he looked confused by her visit. "I don't mean to be rude but what are you doing here?"

Fiddling with her fingers, Sam asked herself, _what _am_ I doing here?_ Realising that Lucas was still waiting for an answer, she said as politely as she could, "I was wondering if Peyton was home."

"Yeah, she is," Lucas said warmly. "Come in."

As Sam walked into the house, Peyton came out from the bedroom to see who it was. A look of surprise sprung across her face when she saw Sam. "Hey, what are you doing here?" she asked.

"Wow, you guys really know how to make people feel welcome," Sam muttered.

Lucas chuckled briefly while Peyton just looked confused. "I asked her the exact same question," he explained. "I'll leave the two of you to talk." He kissed Peyton on the cheek and reached for his jacket which was lying on the couch before leaving through the front door.

"So," Peyton began. "You still haven't told me why you're here." She smiled at Sam, hoping to soften the atmosphere.

"I'm escaping from Brooke and Haley," muttered Sam. "I honestly don't know why I came here though." In a quieter voice, she asked, "You're going to tell Brooke I'm here, aren't you?"

"I'm sorry Sam but I have to. Brooke is probably really worried about you right now," Peyton said as she picked up the house phone and started dialling Brooke's cell phone number.

"Or really mad," Sam added sarcastically.

Peyton laughed with amusement, deliberately moving closer to Sam in case the teenager decided to make a break for it. Brooke picked up on the fifth ring but Peyton spoke first. "Hey B. Davis; I'm just calling to let you know that Sam is with me."

"Oh, thank God," breathed Brooke on the other end of the phone. "Please keep her there and make sure she doesn't run off again. Haley and I are on our way now."

"Okay, I'll see you soon," replied Peyton. She hung up and glanced at Sam. "Do you want to tell me what's going on or should we wait for Brooke and Haley to arrive first?"

Sam dug her hands into the pockets of her jeans and sat down on the couch. "I'm sure they're much better at storytelling than I am," she retorted.

They sat in silence for several minutes until they heard the unmistakeable sound of a car pulling up outside the house. Peyton went to open the front door and Brooke rushed in followed by Haley. The atmosphere grew uncomfortable as Sam ignored them.

"Does anyone want to let me in on the situation?" asked Peyton.

"A girl called Josephine Thomas claimed that Sam was only getting good grades because I'm friends with Brooke. In an attempt to prove her wrong, Sam switched essays with her. I noticed a difference in their work and Sam told us what happened. Brooke decided to ground her but she overheard us talking about Brooke stealing the calculus exam during senior year," Haley explained.

"_You_ stole the calculus exam?" Peyton exclaimed in shock. "I thought it was Rachel!"

"Rachel took the fall for me," Brooke admitted, looking embarrassed. "Thank you for keeping her here, P. Sawyer," she smiled before turning to Sam. "I'm sorry for being harsh on you but I don't want you to make the same mistakes I did. I know I'm being hypocritical but Sam, I only want what's best for you."

Sam glared at her. "How is agreeing with Haley's decision to tell the Principal about this, which will probably leave me with a suspension, the best thing for me? I'm sure the colleges will be impressed to know that I was suspended for, not only doing someone else's essay, but also handing in a piece of work that didn't belong to me," snapped Sam.

Haley sighed and jumped in to defend her friend. "Brooke admitted to stealing and cheating on the calculus exam so her friend Rachel would be allowed to graduate. She knew there was a strong chance she could lose everything she had worked for but it didn't stop her from walking into the Principal's office and confessing."

"Sam, I'm sure you know that Nathan was the star of the basketball team in high school," Peyton said, sitting down on the couch adjacent to the one Sam was seated in. "Every college wanted him, but he made a huge mistake and borrowed money from a loan shark. He even thought about throwing the State Championship. A few weeks later, Lucas was accused of point-shaving but in the end, Nathan came clean even though it practically cost him his future."

"The point is," Haley continued. "What you did will probably result in a suspension but this situation is nothing compared to what they had to go through. Brooke and Nathan accepted the consequences of their actions even though they had to put their futures on the line."

Sam twisted her lips into a smirk and said, "If I didn't know any better, I'd think the two of you rehearsed this. Haley, I'm sorry for the way I behaved towards you today." Looking up at Brooke, she murmured a little sadly, "And I'm sorry for disappointing you, Brooke."

Brooke smiled and hugged her. "I was disappointed... but I'm not anymore," she whispered.

"Does this mean you're not grounding me?" Sam asked hopefully as she got to her feet.

"Nice try," laughed Brooke. "You're still grounded for two weeks on top of the punishment that will be issued by your Principal. Come on, Haley's going to take us home."

Sam scowled at her and stomped through the front door while Brooke hugged Peyton and thanked her again. She followed Haley outside and hid her worried expression with a relieved one.

"Thanks for helping me today, Haley James Scott."

Seeing through Brooke's facade, Haley smiled reassuringly at her friend. "Sam will be fine."

* * *

Brooke couldn't stop herself from feeling anxious as she strolled along the hallways of Tree Hill High with Sam. Haley had rung her early in the morning, reminding her to arrive at the school before the day starts so they could talk to the Principal about the punishment.

As they reached the Principal's office, Sam saw Jo stood outside with a woman who she assumed was her mother. When Jo noticed them, there was a look of surprise on her face that was quickly replaced by excitement as she stared at Brooke in awe.

"Oh my God, Brooke Davis is your mom?" Jo practically squealed.

"She's not my mom," Sam told her awkwardly. Her heart dropped when she saw the flash of hurt in Brooke's eyes and realised how it must have sounded to her. Sam immediately tried to take her words back but Principal Rimkus had opened the door and interrupted her before she could speak.

"Mrs Thomas, Ms Davis, you may come in," Principal Rimkus said in a friendly tone that she reserved for parents and board members only.

They stepped into her office and saw Haley stood by the window with a small encouraging smile. Brooke and Mrs Thomas sat down in the two available chairs while Sam and Jo stood next to them, waiting to hear what Principal Rimkus had to say.

In an attempt to steady her nerves, Sam focussed on a pile of letters that were lying on the Principal's desk. A white envelope lay on top of several brown ones but the Principal's voice cut into Sam's thoughts before she could count how many there were.

"I'm sure you are both aware of the two extremely important rules Samantha and Josephine have broken. However, Mrs Scott has informed me that the latest homework assignment is Samantha's fifth consecutive A-plus, and Josephine's highest-graded piece of work since she has transferred to the school. I've decided to suspend them for three days and when they return, they must have two additional homework assignments completed for Mrs Scott," Principal Rimkus explained.

Brooke let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Principal Rimkus."

Mrs Thomas thanked her as well and the five of them, including Haley, left the office.

Turning to Sam, Brooke told her firmly, "Please do not get into any more trouble, Sam. You might not always be so lucky. I want you to either stay in the house or hang out at the store with me during your suspension, and I want you to have those essays finished straight away."

Sam nodded reluctantly, still upset over her two-week grounding, but she couldn't help laughing at Brooke's rapid rambling. "I promise you I'll stay out of trouble." When Brooke gave her a sceptical look, Sam smirked mischievously. "At least for the next three days."

Ignoring her sarcasm, Brooke turned to Haley and hugged her. "I seriously cannot thank you enough for this. You're the best."

"I didn't really do anything," replied Haley. "Principal Rimkus was surprisingly relaxed about the situation. She didn't even ask for an explanation."

"Maybe she had a personality transplant," smirked Sam. "She definitely needs one."

Haley couldn't resist laughing. "I think she might just have more pressing matters. I have to go. I have a class waiting for me right now but I'll stop by your house tonight. Jamie has been asking to see his Aunt Brooke." She gave them a small wave and hurried down the hallway.

Brooke swung her arm around Sam's shoulder and smiled. "Come on, you can spend some time with me at Clothes Over Bros," Brooke told her as they started down the hallway together.

"Sam!" Jo called, rushing after them. "Can I talk to you for a few minutes?"

Sam glanced at Brooke, who nodded in approval and gave them some privacy.

"Listen, I just wanted to apologise again for my stupid idea," Jo said. She pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket and handed it to Sam. "Here's my cell phone number. If you get bored during the suspension, give me a call and we can hang out if you want."

"Thanks," Sam nodded, although she knew that Brooke was going to take away her cell phone when they got home. Not to mention, if she sneaks out while she's grounded then she'd be in even more trouble. "I'll see you around," Sam said in what she hoped was a friendly tone.

Jo walked back to where her mom was standing and waited until the students had started to disperse before removing a white envelope from her back pocket.

"Thanks for helping me out, Emma. I trust you won't inform my parents or my sisters of this?" Jo asked in a low cautious whisper.

"You have my word," the woman insisted as she counted the numerous twenty dollar bills in the envelope with a satisfied smile.


	5. Chapter 05

**One Tree Hill: Proving a Point**

**Author: L**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own One Tree Hill or any of its characters.

**Author's Note:** I'm having trouble with Chapter 8 at the moment. It needs a lot of editing. Thank you for your reviews.

* * *

Chapter 5

* * *

After reading through the last sentence on the screen, Sam clicked _print_. Stretching her arms out with a yawn, she stared at the finished essay on the table and listened to the second one print. Although she had spent her entire suspension at the store, time still managed to fly by.

"I see you finally finished your homework assignments," Brooke noted, taking the essay from the printer and passing it to Sam.

"Yeah, three days of nagging has finally paid off," grinned Sam.

Brooke picked up a pillow from the couch and threw it at Sam but she skilfully dodged it. "Don't even think about insulting my accuracy," warned Brooke with a playful frown. "Now that you've finished your homework, you can help me around the store."

"Isn't that Millicent's job?" Sam pointed out as she suppressed another yawn.

"I've given Millicent a week's vacation so she can spend some time with Mouth," Brooke explained. "Please, Sam. I could use the help."

"Are you going to pay me?" Sam smirked. She didn't move fast enough as a pillow collided with the side of her head. "That's really going to make eager to help," she muttered sarcastically but she pulled herself off of the couch and walked over to the boxes by the counter.

Brooke followed her, smiling gratefully. "Thanks Sam. I might even think about letting you off for good behaviour," she teased. Brooke hadn't been too strict with Sam's punishment (she was still allowed to watch television and listen to her iPod) which had made her more cooperative.

Sam let out a relieved sigh. "I can't wait to taste freedom again," she said dramatically. "What do you want me to do with these clothes?"

Grabbing another box, Brooke said, "Match the details on the hangers to the details on the tags and then put them into a pile." She reached into the box and pulled out a stunning purple dress before sifting through the hangers.

Following her lead, Sam couldn't help thinking how nice it was to work together with Brooke. She looked up, ready to start a conversation about the first thing that came to mind but stopped when she noticed Brooke staring absentmindedly at something.

A little girl was stood outside the store eating ice-cream. Her mom bent down and started wiping her daughter's mouth with a tissue. The girl held out her ice-cream and shared it with her mom. Sam felt an ache in her heart as she turned back to Brooke.

_"Oh my God, Brooke Davis is your mom?" Jo practically squealed._

_"She's not my mom," Sam told her awkwardly._

The words were ringing in her ears and an uncomfortable silence descended upon them. Sam never once shared an ice-cream with one of her foster moms, and she doubted Victoria had paid enough attention to even know what Brooke's favourite flavour of ice-cream was when she was younger. They watched the woman and her daughter with a jealous longing until they walked away.

"Hey B. Davis!" grinned Peyton as she walked into the store. When she saw Sam looping a hanger into a dress, she said in a teasing tone, "Wow, you managed to get Sam to help you. What did she do – steal a car?"

Sam smirked. "No, not yet, but thanks for the idea, Peyton. I've been struggling to come up with something good to get in trouble for."

Brooke laughed at the comment and gently swatted Peyton on the arm. "P. Sawyer, you're not supposed to be corrupting my kid." She froze, silently scolding herself for not thinking before she spoke. Exchanging a worried look with Peyton, she stole a glance at Sam's expression.

Shooting Brooke a shy smile, Sam reached into the box and pulled out another dress. In the past, no one had ever referred to Sam as theirs. It made her feel wanted. "Well, advising me to steal cars makes Peyton the cool aunt so I guess it's her job to corrupt me," Sam joked, although they could detect a hint of nervousness in her voice.

A smile spread across Peyton's face while Brooke looked stunned. When she eventually recovered from the shock, Brooke couldn't stop herself from grinning. Sam had just referred to one of Brooke's best friends as her aunt and there was only one feeling that could possibly top this but she quickly pushed it to the back of her mind.

"Did you hear that, B. Davis? I'm Sam's cool Aunt Peyton," she repeated proudly as she sat down on the floor and tried to pull Sam into a hug.

Sam rolled her eyes at Peyton's bragging. "It's not that impressive," she smirked. "It just means that every time I get in trouble, I can blame it on you."

"I'll let that comment slide, but only because you're my favourite niece," laughed Peyton.

Getting to her feet, Sam passed the dress and the hanger she was holding to Peyton and turned to Brooke. "Now that Peyton's here, can I go now?" she asked.

Brooke pretended to think it over before smiling and saying, "Well, seeing as you did all this work for free, I guess I can let you off a little early, but make sure you go straight home and don't get into any trouble."

Sam waved goodbye to them and headed towards the door.

"Don't steal any cars," Peyton called after her.

Rolling her eyes again, Sam stepped outside and felt the warmth of the Tree Hill sun on her as she strode along the sidewalk. When she passed the park, she noticed a familiar brunette girl sitting on the branch of a tree.

"Hey," said Sam as she approached Jo. She grabbed the lowest branch with both her hands and pulled herself up while her left foot pushed against the trunk for support.

"Hey," Jo replied. "Have you been enjoying your suspension?"

"It's been okay," Sam murmured, surprised by how true that was. "It actually wasn't that bad even though Brooke has been watching over me every second of the day but then again, I am grounded. She's been pretty great with the punishment though. What did your parents say?"

Jo shrugged and tried to brush off the question. "They don't care." She studied the view of the town in silence before turning to Sam with intense curiosity. "You said Brooke Davis wasn't your mom but you seem to spend a lot of time with her. What's your story?"

It wasn't the first time Sam had been asked this question but now that Brooke was involved, she had to be careful with her answer. "My mom gave me up when I was younger and I went from foster home to foster home for years. Long story short, Mrs Scott introduced me to Brooke who took me into her home and fostered me. She's not my biological mother but –"

There was a long silence as Sam struggled to find the right words to continue. After a few minutes, she gave up and started to jump down but Jo stopped her.

Holding up a small clear plastic bag, Jo laughed at Sam's reaction. She asked with an enquiring smile, "Have you ever smoked before?"

Feeling embarrassed, Sam shook her head slowly, unable to tear her gaze away from it.

"I'll start you off with some normal cigarettes," Jo said. Reaching into her pocket once again, she removed a pack of cigarettes that was nearly empty. "Go on, you can have the whole pack. You don't have to smoke any of them now but they may come in handy in the future."

Sam hesitated.

"I'm sure you've been told cigarettes give you lung cancer, bad breath, stains your teeth and the smell sticks to your clothes," Jo stated matter-of-factly. "Well, coffee gives you bad breath and stains your teeth too, and it also stunts your growth as well but everyone still drinks it. There's only like three cigarettes left anyway. Go on, I don't mind."

Trying to hide her indecision, Sam took the pack and hastily shoved them into her pocket. She muttered a quick "Thanks" to Jo before climbing down from the tree. As she started to walk in the direction of the house, she spotted a shop nearby which brought a smile to her face.

* * *

Sam shifted the carrier bag onto her left hand so she could find her key and unlock the front door. She walked straight into the kitchen and set the bag down on the table. When she heard the sound of the door opening again, she glanced up and saw Brooke enter.

"Hey honey, did you only just get home?" Brooke asked, raising her eyebrow in confusion. Sam had left the store thirty minutes ago.

"Yeah, I took a little detour." Sam gestured towards the bag that was sitting on the table while she removed her jacket. "Stole a few cars as well," she added with a smirk but her expression turned to one of panic when she heard the sound of a light cardboard box collide with the floor.

Brooke had seen it fall out of Sam's pocket but it took a few seconds for her to believe it was actually there. Her gaze flickered between Sam and the box of cigarettes. Sam instantly picked them up and her feet nervously shuffled in the direction of her room.

"Sam," Brooke whispered hoarsely as she struggled to find her voice. Sam immediately stopped. "Please tell me you're not holding a box of cigarettes."

"They're not mine!" protested Sam defensively although she wasn't sure how much good it would do. The majority of the people who spoke those words were normally lying.

Brooke silently held out her hand and Sam reluctantly placed the cigarettes in her palm but she carefully avoided her gaze. She could deal with the anger but the disappointment always broke through the walls Sam had built around herself.

"How long have you been smoking?" Brooke asked but she spoke again before Sam could respond. "It's almost empty. If they're not yours then why are there only three cigarettes left? Sam, tell me the truth." She couldn't stop her voice from rising in volume.

"They're not mine," Sam repeated quietly. "I bumped into a friend when I was walking home and she offered them to me. She said there were only a few left so I could have them. I took the pack but I had no intention of keeping them. I've never even smoked before."

"Sam, if someone offers you cigarettes, you _never_ accept them. Who gave them to you? Was it someone from school?" Brooke demanded.

"You don't believe me, do you?" Sam fought back. "Do you want me to tell you who it was so you can call them and have my story confirmed? Or are you going to take it one step further and have the box scanned for fingerprints so you can match it the name I give you?" Blinking away her tears, Sam angrily stormed to her room.

"Sam, we are not finish–"

Brooke was interrupted by the sound of the bedroom door slamming shut. She let out a frustrated sigh and threw the box onto the kitchen table which diverted her attention to the carrier bag. Curiosity got the better of Brooke as she reached inside the bag and pulled out a tub of ice-cream.


	6. Chapter 06

**One Tree Hill: Proving a Point**

**Author: L**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own One Tree Hill or any of its characters.

* * *

Chapter 6

* * *

_Häagen-Dazs chocolate chip ice-cream,_ Brooke thought with a smile. It was her favourite.

Every now and again, Brooke would glance towards Sam's bedroom and wonder if she was still in there. A knock on the door snapped her out of her thoughts and she set down the tub of ice-cream she was still holding before she got up to answer it.

"Hey guys, thanks for coming," Brooke whispered as she threw her arms around her best friends and hugged them tightly for support.

Peyton and Haley were caught off-guard by this and they shared a questioning look with each other as they followed Brooke into the living room.

"I found Sam with a pack of cigarettes," Brooke said after a short silence.

"Hey, you can't blame this on me," Peyton protested light-heartedly, holding both hands up defensively. "I told her to steal cars, not smoke cigarettes."

Brooke responded with a weak smile but Haley still appeared confused.

"Is Sam in her room?" asked Haley. She wouldn't put it past Sam to run away again if she had gotten in another argument with Brooke.

Sighing, Brooke whispered, "I hope she is." She shot her friends a desperate look. "Sam said the cigarettes weren't hers. She bumped into a friend on the way home from the store and they gave them to her but she won't tell me who the friend is."

"If Sam was smoking, we would have noticed," Haley pointed out. "I don't think it's possible to mask the smell completely and Sam doesn't seem like someone who would smoke."

"Do you believe her?" asked Peyton.

"I don't know." Brooke was now wearing a helpless expression. "Sam rarely gets into trouble anymore but when she refused to tell me who gave them to her, there was a hint of doubt. We got into an argument and I was ready to extend her punishment when I found the tub of ice-cream. Guys, she bought me ice-cream," Brooke said with a small smile. She was absolutely touched by the gesture.

Once again, Peyton and Haley shared a perplexed look. They didn't understand the significance of the ice-cream but they could tell it was important to Brooke.

"Do you guys think you can talk to Sam for me?" asked Brooke with a pleading tone.

"Brooke, honey, if Sam won't tell you where she got them from then she's less likely to tell us," Peyton said, sitting down beside her. "She knows you care about her. I think you should try and talk to her again."

"We'll be here if you need us," smiled Haley. She reached for the tub of ice-cream that was sat on the coffee table and added, "I'll put this in the freezer for you. It looks like it's starting to melt."

Brooke slowly walked towards Sam's room and let her hand rest on the handle for a few seconds before choosing to knock softly instead. "Sam, can I come in please?" The silence was not reassuring. "Sam, can you at least let me know you're still in there?"

The lack of response made her even more worried and it shredded the rest of her patience. Opening the door, Brooke felt a weight lift off of her shoulder when she saw a closed window and a shaking lump hidden underneath the covers.

"Sam," Brooke whispered. She made her way over to the bed and saw down beside her but Sam only shrunk further into the covers. "I want you to know that I do trust you. I just wish you would tell me who gave them to you. I need to know that you're hanging around with people who won't get you into trouble. I just want you to be safe."

The covers slowly pulled back to reveal Sam's face. Her eyes were red from crying but she still appeared angry. "Smoking's not illegal," she muttered.

"It is if you're only fifteen," Brooke reminded her firmly. "They can also cause serious health problems for you."

"Is everyone programmed to give the same speech about smoking?" asked Sam sarcastically. "I get it, okay? Smoking is bad for you. It can cause lung cancer. You don't want me to smoke and I'm sitting here telling you _I don't smoke_ so are you satisfied now?"

Sam threw the covers over her head again and turned to her side. After a minute of contemplation, Brooke stood up and decided to leave the room in order to avoid an argument. As soon as she reached the door, a muffled voice called out to her.

"I'm sorry."

Brooke turned around to see Sam sitting up in her bed. Smiling softly at her, Brooke sat down again and rested her hand on Sam's shoulder.

"I'm not mad at you, Sam. I just wish you would talk to me. You could have come to me about the essay and I wouldn't have been angry with you. You're an amazing writer and every time you let me read your work, regardless of the grade, I'm proud of you. I trust you when you say you weren't going to smoke but you still would have hidden them from me and I don't want that. I want you to be honest with me."

Sam nodded and whispered through her tears, "I'm sorry for shouting at you. I just got angry when I thought you didn't believe me."

"Do you remember when you first started living here and you stole from me?" laughed Brooke. "I interrupted Haley's lesson and you just gave everything back to me without putting up a fight. Even though I was pissed off, I was impressed with your honesty."

"Well, can I be honest now?" Sam asked in a quiet voice.

"Of course," insisted Brooke. "Sam, what's wrong?" The serious tone that laced Sam's question was worrying her again.

Sam broke out into a grin and laughed. "I'm hungry."

They got up from the bed and walked out of the room. Brooke threw her arm around Sam's shoulder and pulled her close.

"Why don't we order some pizza and then we can share the ice-cream you bought for dessert?" Brooke suggested. She was enjoying the feeling of being close to Sam.

"Wow, pizza and ice-cream?" Sam grinned. "You are a really cool mo–"

Her sentence was instantly cut off when they walked into the living room. She had heard Haley and Peyton talking to Brooke before but she was stunned to see a third person sitting there. Tearing her gaze away for a tenth of a second, the shocked expression on Brooke's face answered Sam's unspoken question. Brooke had no idea he was here either.

Standing up nervously, he smiled shyly at Sam. "Hey."

* * *

Brooke had given them permission to talk outside as long as they didn't walk off. They were now sat in front of the house, occasionally sneaking glances at each other. There were so many questions running through Sam's mind and she tried to choose an appropriate one to begin with.

"Where have you been?" she finally asked.

Jack's gaze was fixed on the ground. "I stayed in Tree Hill and I just found a new place to sleep every night." He looked up and his eyes locked with Sam's. "After what happened with my... my... brother, I thought I would give you some space."

"Well you thought wrong," Sam told him. "I've missed you."

"I've you missed you too. That's why I came back. I wanted to see you." Jack dropped his gaze again and Sam could tell he was starting to blush. "When Mrs Scott opened the door, I was ready to turn around and run but she stopped me and... I'm glad she did."

His honesty surprised her and Sam surprised herself when she lightly placed her hand on top of his. Jack's eyes stared intently into hers and Sam could feel herself drawing closer to him. Instead of the gentle collision of their lips Sam had been expecting, she felt him pull away from her.

Sam opened her eyes and followed Jack's embarrassed stare, feeling hurt and confused. She turned her head just in time to see a wave of brunette hair disappear behind the curtain.

"So much for privacy," Sam muttered under her breath.

Jack gave a small laugh, although his gaze darted nervously towards the window again. "I should go now," he said quietly as he stood up.

Mirroring his action, Sam asked in a worried tone, "Where are you going to go?"

"I don't know," Jack murmured.

"Why don't you stay here for the night?" Sam suggested. "Brooke won't mind. She'd rather have you sleep on the couch than out on the streets." If Brooke knew Jack had nowhere else to go, Sam was sure she would say the same thing as her.

"I can't risk social services finding me," sighed Jack. With a shy smile, he took her hand in his and promised, "I'll come back this time. I won't disappear again."

Raising her eyebrow, Sam said in a voice full of sarcasm, "I wonder why I don't feel the slightest bit reassured."

Jack squeezed her hand gently and the scepticism on Sam's face slowly faded, but their moment was interrupted.

"Sam!"

They turned in the direction of the voice and Sam saw Jo walking towards them with a handful of papers and an excited smile on her face.

"Hey," Jo grinned at Sam. Her attention immediately turned to Jack and her smile grew even wider. "Hey," said Jo, almost whispering the word. She eagerly held out her hand.

Jack shook her hand wearily. "Hi."

Sam thought it would be polite to introduce them, and it would also break the long silence as well. "Jo, this is Jack Daniels; Jack, this is Josephine Thomas."

"You can call me Jo," she smiled at him.

Jack was starting to feel uncomfortable with the attention Jo was focussing on him. Sam unconsciously gripped his hand tighter but Jo didn't seem to notice.

Pointing to the papers Jo was holding, Sam tried to change the subject. "Are those fliers?"

Jo's focus was instantly diverted. "I'm throwing a party tonight!" She handed each of them a flier and launched into an enthusiastic explanation. "It's going to be held at the beach. It starts at midnight and I've practically ordered all of the alcohol in Tree Hill. You two should totally come," she added, speaking more to Jack than Sam.

"I can't," Sam told her in a disappointed tone even though she wasn't interested in going. Grounded or not, Sam would rather hang out with Brooke instead. _Did I really just choose staying in over going to a beach party?_ Sam shook her head, bewildered by how much she had changed.

"Well, if you're not going then there's no point in me going," Jack said softly.

The smile on Jo's face fell immediately. "Oh, you guys _have_ to come," Jo protested.

"I'm grounded," Sam pointed out.

Jo raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "Just sneak out," she stated matter-of-factly, as if it was the most obvious option. "If you want, I can pick the two of you up at eleven-thirty."

A surprised look sprung across Jack's expression. "You have your own car?"

Sensing an opportunity to impress him, Jo told them in a casual tone, "Yeah, my parents bought me a car for my fifteenth birthday. I only have a learner's permit at the moment but they let me drive around Tree Hill without an adult. So, am I going to see you guys tonight?"

Sam hesitated. If Jack went to the party then he would have an excuse for staying out all night and she didn't want to leave him on his own with Jo. Less than twenty minutes ago, Brooke had told Sam she trusted her and Sam wasn't going to turn around and abuse that trust. She had always been overlooked and ignored by her past foster parents but Brooke has never once done that to her.

"Sam?!" called Jo, trying to get snap her out of her thoughts. When she had Sam's attention again, Jo asked, "Are you coming to the party?"

"No," replied Sam with a small smile. "I'm not."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Five words: life is never that simple.


	7. Chapter 07

**One Tree Hill: Proving a Point**

**Author: L**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own One Tree Hill or any of its characters.

* * *

Chapter 7

* * *

Sam groaned as she shrunk into her covers. The tapping sound had become incessant and it was irritating her. She pulled the pillow out from under her head and tried to cover her ears with it.

"Sam, open the window."

Her eyes opened blearily while she tried to figure out if she had imagined those words. A louder knock sent her gaze straight to the window.

"Jack?" she murmured to herself as she dragged herself out of the bed and over to the window. Sam was still struggling to determine if this was a dream or not. Opening the window quietly, she whispered, "Jack, what are you doing here?"

"Get dressed," he whispered back. "Jo is waiting for us in her car."

"Why?" asked Sam, trying to keep her eyes open for a few more seconds. Her brain was still half-asleep. "Jack, what's going on? I'm trying to sleep."

"The party," grinned Jack. "Come on, it'll be fun."

Everything came flooding back to Sam at once although she really wished it wouldn't. It was giving her a headache which made her even more tired.

"I already told you I'm not going," groaned Sam.

"Why not?" pressed Jack.

Sam glared at him. "I'm grounded, remember?"

"Fine," Jack muttered in a disappointed voice. "I'll tell you about it tomorrow. I have to go. Jo doesn't want to be late for the party."

"Wait," Sam whispered. It had come out louder than she had intended and she made sure it was silent before she spoke again. "I'll go, but I'm only going to stay for an hour. I don't want Brooke to find out about this."

Jack grinned and turned so his back was facing her room while she got changed. Sam silently scolded herself for letting her jealousy cloud her mind and control her actions. When she was finished, Sam quietly picked up her notebook and flipped to a clean page.

A few minutes later, Sam had reluctantly climbed out the window and followed Jack to Jo's car. Jo had seemed both surprised and excited to see her, but Sam was too lost in her thoughts to pay any attention to her.

Jo drove for ten minutes before pulling into the beach's car park. The loud, pounding music startled Sam and she opened the car door slowly, shivering at the icy breeze of the night.

"This is amazing," murmured Jack, astonished by the amount of people who were there. He couldn't remember the last time he had just laughed and enjoyed himself. It was the main reason why he had been so eager to come tonight.

Sam, however, was unimpressed. It didn't appeal to her as much as her nice warm bed did. _One hour,_ she told herself. _I just have to stay for one hour._

They were trying to make their way through the crowd of Tree Hill High students, which was proving impossible because Jo kept stopping to talk to people. Sam thought back to what Jo had told three days ago and wondered how she had made this many friends in such a short time.

"Come on, the drinks are over here," Jo shouted over the loud music. She led them over to several tables lined with hundreds of cups. "So," grinned Jo, passing each of them a drink. "With a name like Jack Daniels, you must be really good at drinking."

Jack gave a small laugh and took a sip of his drink. "No, I'm actually terrible at it," Jack admitted in a quiet voice. "I get drunk really easily."

"Well, Jo is brilliant at drinking. Every time there's a drinking contest, she always wins," a tall blonde-haired boy told them. "I'm Ryan," he added.

"Jack."

Sam gave an irritable sigh and downed her drink in one go. It burned against her throat and left a strong aftertaste in her mouth. Standing here and listening to their conversation made Sam feel invisible.

Setting down her empty cup, Jo turned to Jack with a flirtatious smile and said, "Let's dance."

To Sam's disbelief, Jack started to blush. "I'm not good at dancing. I wouldn't want to embarrass you at your own party."

"You won't embarrass me. I'll probably embarrass myself. Come on," Jo insisted, refusing to take no for an answer. She reached for his hand and started to lead him down the beach.

Sam reached for another cup from the table and swallowed the alcohol in huge gulps. For a second, Sam considered turning around and heading home but she didn't see why Jack should be the only one allowed to have fun.

"Hey," said Ryan. Sam had caught his attention when she reached for her third cup of alcohol. "You look really beautiful tonight," he smiled.

Ignoring him, Sam reached for an unopened bottle of vodka in a crate that was lying beneath the table. She could feel Ryan following her as she stormed off to a desolate part of the beach, but she was too annoyed at Jack to pay any attention to him.

Ryan sat down beside her and gently nudged her arm. "Come on, you have to share," he protested lightly, his blue eyes twinkling as he grinned at her.

Her cheeks held a soft pink tinge as she passed the bottle to him. "Fine, if you're going to be such a baby about it, you can drink it first," muttered Sam in her usual sarcastic tone but it was also paired with a teasing smile.

Shooting her another grin, Ryan opened the bottle with ease and took a quick swig. He let out a satisfied breath and smirked, "Your turn."

Sam rolled her eyes and took the bottle from him eagerly. She could taste the sweetness of his lips before the vodka roared through her mouth. Dropping the bottle, Sam started spluttering and coughing uncontrollably.

An alarmed Ryan rubbed her back soothingly and waited for the coughs to subside. "Don't worry, the first time is always like that," Ryan told her with a wink.

Her lips twisted into a small grateful smile and she reached for the bottle again. It felt like her throat was being set alight but she tried to block it out. When Sam set down the bottle, she felt something else crash against her lips.

Ryan's hands were holding her close to his body and Sam resisted for a second before throwing her arms around his neck. Her alcohol-induced mind allowed Ryan to gently push her backwards into the sand and she was only vaguely aware of Ryan's hands creeping under her shirt.

When Sam felt his lower body press tightly against hers, she instantly pushed him off of her, suddenly aware of how fast this was going. A confused expression spread across Ryan's face and he sat in silence, breathing heavily.

"I'm sorry," he murmured with the same boyish grin.

Sam avoided his gaze and it wasn't long before she heard him get up and walk away. To her surprise, Ryan sat down beside her again after less than a minute.

"You can have the rest of it," Ryan smiled, holding out the vodka bottle.

With a light roll of her eyes, Sam downed the final contents of the bottle and felt it rush straight to her head. She felt Ryan pull her to a standing position but she couldn't support her own weight and fell onto the sand. Fear washed over Ryan as her body started to shake vigorously.

"Sam!" yelled Jack, sprinting over to them with Jo by his side. They pushed through the crowd that had started to form around Sam. "Sam, can you hear me?" he asked.

Jack could hear Jo talking frantically into her cell phone and out of the corner of his eyes, he noticed a panicked Ryan edging away from the scene. Jack took deep breaths to refrain himself from attacking Ryan and focussed on Sam instead.

"Sam," Jack whispered. "It's going to be alright. I promise you. You'll be okay."

Jo knelt down beside him and murmured, "The ambulance is on its way."

* * *

Brooke rushed through the hospital, turning corner after corner until she saw a familiar figure sitting with his head in his hands. When she had received Jack's phone call, her heart had nearly stopped. Her heels skidded to a halt in front of the distraught teenager.

"Jack! Where's Sam?" asked Brooke frantically. "What happened? Where is she? Is she going to okay?" She was struggling to keep her voice down but she fought successfully against the tears that were threatening to spill over in her eyes.

"I don't know," Jack mumbled. His voice was thick with emotion and his eyes were red from crying. "They won't tell me anything."

"Samantha Walker?"

Brooke spun around instantly at the name and saw a doctor standing in front of her. "I'm her mother," Brooke told him in a panicked tone. "What happened? Is she going to be alright?"

"We've had to pump Samantha's stomach to remove the vodka in her system but that's not the reason why she collapsed," the doctor explained. "We found strong traces of a date-rape drug in her bloodstream. When it is mixed with pure vodka, it can have an adverse reaction. We've managed to stabilise her but she is in a coma at the moment."

The tears were falling freely down Brooke's face as she tried to take in the information. "Date-rape drug?" she repeated in a whisper. Brooke tried to steady her shaking voice as she asked, "When will she wake up?"

"Hopefully within the next two days," the doctor replied. He smiled comfortingly at Brooke and added, "I'll be back to check on her later."

"Thank you, doctor," Brooke whispered. She was still waiting for it to fully sink in.

She pushed the door open and slowly walked inside, hearing Jack's quiet footsteps behind her. Brooke sat down in the chair next to the bed and brushed her fingers against Sam's forehead, gently sweeping her hair out of her eyes. Reaching for Sam's hand, Brooke clasped it tightly in her own and finally broke down.

"Sam, please wake up," sobbed Brooke, trying to choke back her tears. "I'm not angry at you or disappointed in you, I promise. No matter what happens, I will always love you, Sam. I just want you to wake up. Can you do that for me? Just wake up. That's all I'm asking. Please."

Brooke's gaze instantly shot up when she felt Sam's arm move. Panic flooded her face when Sam's body started to go into a fit. Jack rushed out of the room and returned with the doctor by his side almost immediately.

"She's having a seizure," the doctor explained hurriedly to Brooke. "You need to wait outside while we work on her."

The nurse started to lead Brooke away from the bed while the doctor called out various instructions to his colleagues. As Brooke reached the door, she felt fear wash over her; the colour drained out of her face and the sound of a continuous _beep_ rung loudly in her ears.


	8. Chapter 08

**One Tree Hill: Proving a Point**

**Author: L**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own One Tree Hill or any of its characters.

**Author's Note:** I have given up trying to edit this chapter. The problem lies within the standard of my writing and I hope it doesn't ruin the flow of the story. Thank you for your reviews.

* * *

Chapter 8

* * *

Brooke wrapped her arms around her body in an attempt to comfort herself as she waited helplessly in the hospital's hard plastic chairs. Sobbing silently, she whispered through her tears, "Please don't take her away from me. Please. You can't take her away from me."

Jack felt a surge of guilt rush through him as he listened to Brooke's pleading voice. He moved away from the wall he was leaning against and stood in front of her. "Ms Davis," Jack murmured softly. "There's something I need to tell you."

Although Brooke remained silent, she glanced up at Jack's nervous expression to indicate she was listening.

Taking a deep breath, Jack dropped his gaze to the floor and mumbled, "It's my fault. Jo invited us to the party this afternoon but Sam told us she wasn't going because she was grounded. We tried to persuade her to change her mind but she wouldn't."

Brooke looked up in surprise and gave him her full attention.

Jack swallowed hard before continuing. "Sam was fast asleep when I came to find her tonight. I asked her to come to the party with me again but she refused. I gave up and I was going to leave but then she suddenly had a change of heart and said she wanted to come."

It left a bittersweet smile on Brooke's face knowing that, even though Sam had broken several rules by sneaking out past curfew to go to a party, she had also tried to handle the situation responsibly.

"Jack Daniels?"

They both looked up at once, curious to see who the voice belonged to. Two police officers were striding down the corridor towards them.

"Yeah, that's me," confirmed Jack in a low murmur. He nervously avoided eye contact with the officers while he fought against the urge to make a run for it.

"We need to ask you a few questions regarding the beach party you attended tonight. You will have to come down to the station with us," the first officer told him.

Brooke stood up and assumed a motherly role. She knew Sam would be devastated if anything happened to Jack. "My name is Brooke Davis. I'm a friend of Jack's. Will he need a guardian or a lawyer with him during the interview?" she asked.

"That won't be necessary, Ms Davis," the officer replied. "It's just a standard procedure. Jack is reported to have come into contact with the teenage male suspected of possessing a date-rape drug. According to witnesses, Jack was seen dancing with a girl who we believe is behind the party. His statement is important to us."

Jack hung his head slightly and started to follow them while Brooke could only stand and watch. She felt useless knowing there was nothing she could do for either of them.

The door to Sam's room opened and the doctor stepped out, searching for Brooke.

"Is she going to be okay?" Brooke asked in a pleading tone. Her heart was thumping furiously against her chest and the tears had returned to her eyes. Brooke was drenched in fear by the time the doctor had started to reply.

"We've managed to stabilise Samantha again," explained the doctor. "It is highly unlikely for a third seizure to occur but we will be keeping a close eye on her."

Brooke nodded and rushed into the room, taking her place by Sam's side again. She kissed her forehead and whispered, "Sam, I'll make you a deal, okay? If you wake up, I'll let you have pizza and ice-cream for dinner every day. I'll even let you throw another party at the store."

She watched Sam for a few minutes, desperately hoping for some kind of response. It wasn't long before her head rested uncomfortably on the side of the bed and she drifted off into anything but a peaceful slumber.

"Brooke?" a voice murmured softly as they gently shook her shoulder. "Brooke?"

Opening her eyes blearily, Brooke found that the pitch-black sky had been replaced by a blinding sunlight streaking through the windows.

"Haley?" mumbled Brooke. She rubbed her eyes wearily with her free hand and lifted her head, feeling confused as she stared at her friend's worried expression. "What are you doing here?" she asked, suppressing a yawn.

The last seven hours came flooding back to Brooke at once and her attention instantly flew towards Sam. The machine monitoring Sam's heartbeat was _beep_ing steadily to Brooke's relief.

Haley wrapped her arm around Brooke's shoulder and replied, "Jack rang me. He was placed in a temporary foster home last night and he wanted me to tell Sam. Why didn't you call me? I would have been here for you."

Brooke gave her a small smile. "It was late and I didn't want to wake Jamie. I don't know what to do. I just want her to wake up. Haley, why won't she wake up?"

She pulled Brooke into a comforting hug and murmured, "Brooke, don't worry. Sam's a fighter. She will get through this but she needs you to be strong for her as well. Why don't you go home and get some rest? I can stay here for a few hours."

"No, no, I'm okay," insisted Brooke. "I want to be here when she wakes up."

"Brooke," Haley said in a firm voice. She knew her friend was going to be stubborn about this. "You need to get some rest. I will stay here with her and I promise I will call you the second there is any change in Sam's condition."

"I'm okay," repeated Brooke but the determination in her voice had faded.

"Brooke, I think a nice long hot shower will help," Haley suggested. "I know you don't want to leave her but you'll only be gone an hour at the most."

Sighing in defeat, Brooke reluctantly relented. "Okay, but please call me if anything happens." She stood up from her seat and moved closer to Sam. "I won't be gone for long. I'll be here when you wake up," she promised.

"You look exhausted," said Haley, drawing her eyebrows together in concern. "Are you going to be able to drive home? I can ring Nathan and ask him to come pick you up."

"I'll be okay," Brooke insisted. "Thank you."

Haley smiled and shook her head softly. "Brooke, you don't need to thank me. After everything you've done for me, Nathan and Jamie, this is the least I can do."

Knowing Haley was going to be here with Sam made Brooke feel slightly more at ease. She watched Sam for a long second before finally forcing herself to leave.

* * *

The shower had managed to calm Brooke down for a little while but as she stood in the doorway of Sam's bedroom, she felt a few tears slide down her cheeks. She hastily brushed them away and entered the room.

Sam's notebook was lying on her bed. Brooke respected Sam's privacy when it came to her writing but as she neared it, she realised there was a message waiting for her.

_Brooke, I know you're probably really worried and angry right now but I can explain. Jack is going to a party tonight and I don't want to leave him on his own. The details are on the flier so if you want, you can come and drag me home. I'll try to stay out of trouble. I'm really sorry. –Sam_

By the time she had finished reading, Brooke was crying silently as she hugged the notebook close to her. Sam had gone from a teenage shoplifter to Brooke's teenage daughter. She was no longer sarcastic and rebellious; she was now sarcastic and responsible.

Setting the notebook back down on the bed, Brooke wiped away her remaining tears. When she had recomposed herself, she picked up her keys and left through the front door. She noticed someone walking towards her as she hurried down the drive. When Brooke realised who it was, she let out a frustrated groan and narrowed her eyes at them.

"What do you want?" snapped Brooke.

"Good morning to you too, Brooke," replied Victoria icily. "I hope you're not going anywhere because we are supposed to have a meeting about the new fall line."

Brooke glared at her. "You may care more about the business than your own daughter but I am not going to make the same mistakes you did. _My_ daughter is waiting for me right now so your Botoxed-ass needs to get the hell out of my way."

"Is Samantha in trouble?" asked Victoria, softening her expression.

At the mention of Sam's name, Brooke felt her anger towards her mother crumble. "Sam..." Brooke trailed off and took a deep breath. "Sam collapsed last night."

Brooke unlocked her car and started to get in. She didn't want to discuss this anymore because she knew she could break down again at any second. To Brooke's bewilderment, Victoria had opened the door and slid into the passenger seat.

"What do you think you're doing?" demanded Brooke.

"I'm going to the hospital with you," Victoria replied calmly.

Brooke glowered at her. "No, you're not."

"Why not?" asked Victoria. She glanced at Brooke with raised eyebrows.

An incredulous look swept across Brooke's face. She couldn't believe Victoria actually needed to ask. "I don't want Sam to wake up and be scared to death by your face," retorted Brooke.

Victoria stared straight ahead and said in a surprisingly sincere tone, "I care about Samantha." Brooke scoffed in response to this statement, prompting Victoria to add in a barely audible whisper, "And contrary to popular belief, I care about you too."

Brooke's mouth dropped open in shock. She stared at Victoria with a stunned expression, wondering if her lack of sleep had altered her hearing.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Victoria asked irritably. "Drive."

Rolling her eyes, Brooke turned on the ignition. They remained silent throughout the journey, although Brooke was amused by how uncomfortable Victoria had become. When they arrived, Brooke dashed through the hospital, eager to see Sam again. (It was also partly because she was trying to lose Victoria.)

As soon as Brooke had entered Sam's room, Haley told her the good news. "The doctor just stopped by. He said Sam's doing great and there's a strong chance she'll wake up today." Haley's smile turned into a confused frown when she noticed Victoria.

"Haley, you remember my mother the vampiress," Brooke muttered.

Disguising her laughter with a small cough, Haley said politely, "Hello Mrs Davis."

Victoria's uninterested gaze landed on Haley for a few seconds before she murmured in a dismissive tone, "Oh yes, Potato Girl."

Haley glanced at Brooke with a puzzled look. She didn't know if she should be offended or amused by the nickname.

"It's _Tutor_ Girl," Brooke corrected in a hard voice. She smiled apologetically at Haley before glaring at Victoria.

"Potato Girl," croaked a hoarse whisper. "I can't wait to use that in school."

Three sets of eyes, filled with a mixture of shock and relief, instantly shot towards Sam. Her face was a ghostly white but a smirk was pulling at the corners of her lips. Brooke broke out into a huge smile and threw her arms around Sam, hugging her tightly.

"And I can't wait to give you a week's detention for calling me that," joked Haley. "I'll go find the doctor," she added.

Sam shifted to the side, creating enough space for Brooke to sit down beside her. "I'm guessing you preferred me unconscious?" Sam smirked, gesturing towards Brooke's tear-stained face.

Shaking her head softly, Brooke smiled. "These are happy tears."

"I'm sorry for sneaking out," Sam whispered.

"Sam, I'm not angry with you. When Jack rang me and told me you had collapsed, I almost had a heart attack. I was really worried about you."

Sam looked around the room slowly. "Where is Jack?"

Brooke hesitated. "He's..." She watched the realisation dawn on Sam's face while the hope in her eyes started to vanish. "After Jack gave his statement to the police last night, he was placed in a temporary foster home. I'm really sorry, Sam." Brooke waited anxiously for her reaction.

Blinking back her tears, Sam rested her head on Brooke's shoulder and mumbled sadly, "I guess he couldn't hide forever."


	9. Chapter 09

**One Tree Hill: Proving a Point**

**Author: L**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own One Tree Hill or any of its characters.

* * *

Chapter 9

* * *

The doctor smiled as he scribbled down some notes on Sam's chart. "If you don't mind, we would like to keep Samantha here for a few more hours so we can run some tests."

His words instantly sent Brooke into a panic. "Why? Is there something wrong?"

"No, she's doing great actually. We just want to make sure the drug has left her system completely before we discharge her," he explained with a reassuring smile.

Brooke's breathing returned to its normal pace. "Okay. Thank you, doctor."

He nodded and left to see to his other patients. A few seconds after the door had closed, it opened again and two police officers strode in. Brooke recognised them as the same officers who had taken Jack to make a statement last night.

"Hello Samantha," said the first officer. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay," murmured Sam. She unconsciously edged closer to Brooke.

The second officer stepped forward. "We need to ask you a few questions regarding the party you attended last night. Would you like us to come back later?" he asked, using the same friendly tone his colleague had spoken in.

"I can answer them now," insisted Sam. She wanted to get this over with as soon as possible.

"Do you know why you collapsed last night?" asked the first officer.

Brooke wore a worried look as she waited for Sam to reply. She wasn't sure if Sam knew she had been drugged and she didn't want her to find out from the officers.

"I think I drank too much vodka," Sam said with a voice full of uncertainty. To be honest, she didn't have a clue why she had collapsed but her lack of experience with alcohol seemed to be the most likely reason.

The officers exchanged an uncomfortable look with each other but Brooke intercepted before either of them could speak.

"Sam," Brooke began, studying her expression anxiously. "The reason why you collapsed is because someone spiked your drink last night."

Sam was stunned. She had no recollection of this. A shiver ran down her spine when it dawned on her that if she hadn't of collapsed and drawn attention to herself, she could have been raped. When she felt Sam's body start to shake, Brooke wrapped her arm around Sam's shoulder and pulled her close to her side.

The first officer cleared his throat awkwardly and continued with the interview. "Do you remember coming into contact with anyone who may have had the opportunity to drug you?"

There were only three faces Sam had looked at for more than three seconds at the beach party. Two of them belonged to Jack and Jo but the third one, the blonde-haired, blue-eyed boy with the gorgeous grin, left Sam confused. "I think his name was Ryan," she whispered unsurely.

"Ryan Edwards," the second officer nodded. "He's been released on bail. We have him on several charges including possession of a date-rape drug, illegally hosting a party in a public space, under-age purchasing of –"

"Wait," Sam interrupted. Her memory was still a little hazy but she knew for certain Ryan wasn't responsible for the party. "It wasn't Ryan. It was Josephine Thomas who threw the party."

"Several witnesses have told us the same thing but Ryan Edwards made a confession in his statement last night," explained the officer.

Victoria stepped forward and narrowed her eyes at them. "Why are you so quick to believe this fifteen year-old boy if another suspect has been named and confirmed by eye-witnesses who were at the party?" she asked in an incredulous tone.

"He made a confess–"

"_He_ slipped a date-rape drug in Samantha's drink," Victoria responded coldly. "I highly doubt his statement can be trusted. Are you going to follow up on the claims which have been made against the girl, or have you already come to the conclusion that these witnesses are unreliable?"

"We –"

Victoria interrupted the officer again in an icy tone. "Honestly, police officers are so incompetent these days. I expect you to find evidence proving the girl is innocent before you accuse Samantha of lying."

The officers looked stunned by Victoria's outburst and even Brooke had to admit she was impressed by the way her mother had handled the situation.

"I assure you we will launch a full investigation," he insisted before turning to Sam. "We may need to speak with you again soon and there is a strong chance you will have to testify in court, but you will also be the given the option to decline the request if you wish to. Thank you for your cooperation today, Samantha."

Sam waited for the officers to leave before turning to Victoria and smirking. "Wow, I have a kick-ass grandmother," she laughed.

Brooke and Haley exchanged amused looks as they tried to stop themselves from laughing at the offended expression on Victoria's face. She looked positively stunned by the comment but Haley thought she could also see a hint of a smile play on her lips.

"Samantha, watch your language! I never want to hear that word again," Victoria told her firmly but Sam only smirked in response. "I'm going outside to make a call," she added stiffly.

When Victoria was out of sight, Brooke and Haley immediately burst into laughter. Brooke couldn't help feeling jealous at how naturally the word 'grandmother' had fallen from Sam's lips, but she quickly pushed the thought aside.

"Life is definitely more interesting when you're awake," Haley smiled, standing up from her seat by the window. "I have to go now but I will stop by again later. I'm really glad you're okay, Sam, and if either of you need anything, call me."

* * *

"I'm really sorry," Sam murmured after Haley had closed the door behind her. "I know you're not mad but I feel like you should be. You told me I could always talk to you about anything and I should have told you about the party."

"Well, you have plenty of time to make this up to me," Brooke said in a quiet but firm tone. "You're grounded for another two weeks and you're going to spend a month working at the store."

Sam nodded and accepted her punishment in silence. "Are you disappointed in me?"

Brooke smiled and shook her head softly. "Jack told me you never planned to go to the party in the first place and I read the message you left me. I only wish I had found it sooner. If I had gone down to that beach and taken you home then you wouldn't be lying in hospital right now."

"It's not your fault," Sam insisted. "I shouldn't have been drinking."

"Are you trying to get yourself grounded for life?" teased Brooke. Although she was smiling, there was a hint of sadness in Sam's eyes which hadn't evaded Brooke's notice. "What's on your mind?" she asked, gently nudging Sam on the shoulder.

Sam sighed. "Jack," she whispered. "He's in a _temporary_ foster home which means there is a strong chance he could be moved somewhere outside of Tree Hill soon, and I'll never see him again. He's my best friend."

"Sam, you won't lose him." Brooke wrapped her arms around Sam and hugged her tightly. "Even if Jack does leave Tree Hill, it won't be the end of your friendship... or your relationship," she added with a knowing smile.

"We're just friends," Sam protested but she knew her blushing had given her away.

Brooke raised her eyebrow, looking bemused by the conversation. "Do you always kiss your friends?" she smirked.

Sam glared at her and muttered, "We never actually got to the kissing. We didn't feel like doing it in front of an audience."

Feigning curiosity, Brooke asked with an innocent smile, "Oh, so that's why you were stood outside in full view of the neighbours?"

"Shut up," Sam retorted, giving her a playful shove.

The door opened rather forcefully and Victoria stormed into the room, looking annoyed. "Turn on the news now."

"Excuse me?" asked Brooke, staring at her in disbelief. She raised an eyebrow expectantly at Victoria who shot her an irritated glare in return. "It's a miracle I grew up with any manners," she muttered under her breath as she reached for the remote and turned on the television.

'Breaking News' flashed across the screen as the news reporter started to speak.

"_The controversy surrounding a video clip which was uploaded onto the internet last night by a teenage boy, thought to be in his senior year at Tree Hill High, has continued._"

The screen switched from the news reporter to the video but her voice could be heard over the clip as she continued to speak.

"_The audio is almost indecipherable as the video was shot from a distance. Students of Tree Hill High have confirmed that the building in the background is indeed their school. The public have been speculating over the identities of the two females captured on camera in the school's car park._"

Sam squinted at the teenager on the screen. She seemed familiar but then again, considering Sam passed hundreds of brunette girls at the school every day, it could have been anyone of them. However, she was certain the woman was a member of the faculty.

On screen, the girl removed a white envelope from her back pocket and handed it to the woman. She glanced around cautiously – at this point, the person behind the camera had shrunk back into the shadows – before opening the envelope and pulling out a handful of notes.

Victoria seemed unfazed by what they were seeing, but Sam and Brooke, on the other hand, had been stunned into silence.

"_The board members for the school released a statement a few hours after the video caught the attention of the public. The woman in the video is the Principal of Tree Hill High and the girl has been identified as Josephine Thomas. Josephine's father is Richard Thomas, the CEO of a multi-national company specialising in sports science._"

The screen turned black and it took them a second to realise Victoria had turned off the television. Sam could feel the effects of the previous night's vodka rush straight to her head as she tried to sort through the information she had just been given.

Narrowing her eyes suspiciously at Victoria, Brooke asked, "Did you know about this?"

"I only found out a few minutes before you did," replied Victoria. "I called my P.I. and asked him to find me some information regarding Josephine Thomas. He thought her name sounded familiar and then he remembered a news report he had seen this morning."

Sam looked impressed. "You have your own private investigator?"

Brooke groaned and shot Sam a pleading look. "Please do not encourage her." Reaching for her handbag, Brooke pulled out her cell phone. "I'm going to ring Haley and see if she knows anything about this. You should be resting," she reminded Sam in a worried voice.

"I'm not tired," Sam protested. "And I have Victoria to keep me company."

"Actually, I have a meeting I need to go to right now so you'll have to find another excuse," Victoria told her with a smirk. She turned towards Brooke and added, "We'll have to reschedule another meeting to discuss the fall line but that can wait."

As Victoria reached for the door handle, Brooke stopped her. "Thank you... for coming to see Sam," Brooke said in a hesitant tone.

Victoria nodded, curling the corners of her lips into a slight smile, and left the room.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I really liked Victoria towards the end of season six, especially in the season finale, which is the reason why I included her in the story. In Chapter 4, there was a subtle clue regarding Jo and Principal Rimkus but I'm not sure if anyone noticed.


	10. Chapter 10

**One Tree Hill: Proving a Point**

**Author: L**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own One Tree Hill or any of its characters.

* * *

Chapter 10

* * *

Haley knocked softly on the door before opening it and entering the room. She smiled at Sam and Brooke, who were sitting next to each other on the hospital bed, and slid into a chair beside them.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" she asked Sam.

"I'm feeling great," Sam replied. "The doctor wants to see the results from the tests I took earlier before he discharges me. It's totally just an excuse to keep us here so he can flirt with Brooke," she added with a teasing smirk.

"He was _not_ flirting with me," Brooke protested. Turning to Haley, she swiftly changed the subject with a mischievous sparkle in her eyes. "So, have you got any gossip on Tree Hill High's corrupt Principal?"

With a small laugh, Haley shook her head slightly and said, "I was called into the school for a meeting this morning but I'm not allowed to discuss this."

"Haley, everyone in Tree Hill is talking about this," Sam pointed out.

It remained as the top news story throughout the day and they had even heard two nurses speculating over the reason why Jo had given Principal Rimkus money. The theories which had been sent into the news station ranged from ridiculous to impossible.

"Come on, Haley. You can tell us. We won't breathe a word of this to anyone," promised Brooke. She was wearing a pout Haley had not seen in almost five years.

Haley smiled to herself as she remembered the memories they had shared together in high school. Sighing reluctantly, she said in a hesitant tone, "Okay, but this is just what I've been told. I don't know if it's true."

She knew she was being paranoid but Haley couldn't help glancing over her shoulder and making sure the door was closed before she launched into the story.

"Josephine comes from a wealthy background. She has two older sisters who were really smart and well-behaved in school; both of them were made valedictorians. From what I've heard, Josephine used to be really bright, but when she came to the conclusion her parents were always going to put her sisters on a higher pedestal than her, she just stopped trying.

"She started to skip school and stopped handing in her homework assignments. When her parents found out, they were furious. Josephine has been expelled from seven schools in the past two years and prior to moving to Tree Hill, her parents gave her an ultimatum: either she behaves or they send her to a boarding school. She's been doing really well but her parents didn't take any notice."

_"I always feel like my parents are disappointed in my grades. I saw an opportunity to get a better grade and I just wanted to impress my parents for once."_

The words swam around in Sam's mind until they finally sunk in. "That's why she wanted us to switch essays," Sam murmured as the pieces slowly joined together. "She wanted to impress her parents by getting a good grade."

Haley nodded, confirming Sam's assumption. "The school believes that, because Josephine didn't want her parents to find out about this incident, she paid Principal Rimkus in order to ensure she received a minimal punishment."

"I don't understand," said Brooke in a confused tone. "We met Josephine's mother when we spoke with Principal Rimkus so doesn't it mean her parents already know?"

"This is where things start to get slightly more complicated," Haley admitted. "I met Mrs Thomas today and she looks nothing like the woman who came into the school with Josephine last week. The board has advised Josephine's parents to withdraw her from the school if they would like to avoid a public scandal, or she will face an expulsion."

"What's going to happen to Principal Rimkus?" asked Sam. There was not a hint of emotion in her voice. They had always shared a mutual contempt for each other.

Haley paused momentarily and decided she could trust them to keep quiet about this until the school released an official statement. "She has been suspended until further notice," Haley told them. "The school board is hoping she will offer her resignation so they won't have to fire her."

"I never liked her anyway," Sam muttered.

Haley and Brooke laughed at her comment until a comfortable silence washed over the room, and Haley found her gaze settling on the two brunettes. Brooke had wrapped her arm protectively around Sam's shoulder and Sam was leaning towards Brooke, enjoying the security.

"Hey Brooke, now that I've told you my secret, don't you think it's time to share yours?" Haley couldn't stop the grin from spreading across her face as Brooke shot her a confused look. "The secret you've been keeping for almost two months," Haley added with a knowing smile.

Brooke instantly caught on and tried to steady her nerves as Sam turned to her with an enquiring expression. She glanced up at Haley who just smiled encouragingly at her.

"I've been speaking with my lawyer," Brooke confessed. "And I asked him to send me –"

"Adoption papers," finished Sam in a casual tone.

Brooke and Haley exchanged surprised looks with each other while Sam just watched them with an amused smirk.

"W-when did you find out?" Brooke finally asked.

"On the same day you received them," Sam replied without missing a beat.

The confusion was etched across Haley's expression. "_How_ did you find out?"

Sam blushed and slid into the covers slightly. "Well," she began in a cautious tone. "I was having breakfast while Brooke was going through the mail and then out of nowhere, she started to get really excited. Before I could ask her about it, she received a phone call from you and went into her bedroom so..." Sam lowered her voice to a mumble. "I stole a look at the letter."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Brooke questioned softly. A wave of dread washed over as she waited for Sam to reply. She wasn't sure if she wanted to know the answer.

Dropping her gaze to the covers, Sam whispered nervously, "I was waiting for you to ask me but you never brought it up and I thought..." She hesitated and lowered her voice even more. "I thought you'd changed your mind about adopting me."

"Sam –" Brooke started to protest but Sam intercepted before she could continue.

She lifted her gaze to meet Brooke's. "It's okay if you don't want to adopt me. I think it will be better this way," she murmured, forcing a smile. "If I screw up after we make it official then you won't be able to get rid of me as easily. I just want you to know that, even before I found the adoption papers, I had already started to think of you as my mom. You're the only parent I've ever had, and you're the only mom I ever want."

Haley turned away from them, hiding the tears which had gathered in her eyes. Brooke allowed her own tears to fall freely down her face as she wrapped her arms around Sam tightly.

"Sam," Brooke whispered, struggling to keep her voice steady. "I will never _ever_ kick you out. I'll even ground you for life if that's the only way to keep you around. I wanted to wait until you were comfortable with calling me 'Mom' before I asked you about the adoption."

There was a knock on the door and the doctor walked into the room. The bright smile on his face disappeared and his expression changed to one of alarm when he found all three women crying.

"Is everything alright?" the doctor asked nervously. "I can come back later," he added, shifting awkwardly in the doorway.

Brooke hastily wiped away her tears and shook her head. "No, it's okay. Do you have Sam's results?" she asked, changing the subject quickly.

The doctor still appeared uncomfortable but he smiled to cover his unease and nodded. "There are still some traces of the drug in Samantha's bloodstream but it won't be harmful to her." He turned to Sam and said, "You should drink lots of fluids when you get home. We'll just need your –" He glanced at Brooke and scanned through his notes, looking for her relationship to Sam.

"Mother," Sam finished for him.

He looked up with a confused expression. "Excuse me?" he asked politely.

"She's my mother," Sam repeated calmly.

There was a flicker of surprise across the doctor's face but he recomposed himself almost instantly. "Oh, I'm sorry. I just..." He hesitated, afraid to continue in case he offended them.

"It's okay," Sam shrugged, trying to hide her amusement. "Your reaction is normal. My mom actually had me when she was eight. She is the youngest mother in the world."

Haley began to cough uncontrollably in an attempt to disguise her laughter while Brooke mirrored the doctor's stunned expression.

Brooke let out a small nervous laugh. "She's just kidding," Brooke insisted.

The doctor still looked puzzled. "So you're not her mother?" he asked in a weary tone. He was nearing the end of his twelve-hour shift which had left him exhausted.

"Well, I am..." Brooke trailed off and shot Haley a pleading look as the doctor looked even more baffled by the conversation.

Haley fought to suppress her laughter and quickly joined the conversation. "Will you be discharging Sam now?" she asked.

Clearing his throat awkwardly, the doctor tried to maintain a professional attitude. "We need you to fill out some forms first before Samantha can be discharged but they should only take a few minutes to complete."

"Okay. Thank you, doctor." Brooke waited until he had left the room before turning back towards Sam, wearing an astounded expression.

"He's not too bright, is he?" smirked Sam. With a playful smile, she added, "Being your daughter is fun."

The disapproving frown on Brooke's face vanished almost immediately. "We'll wait for you in reception," said Brooke with happiness lacing each word as she practically bounced to the door.

"Hey Mom," whispered Sam.

The words were spoken so softly that Brooke almost missed them. Her eyes lit up as she turned to face Sam with a huge blissful smile spreading across her face.

Sam got out of the hospital bed and threw her arms around her mother, pulling her into a hug. "I just wanted you to get use to hearing it."

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The End

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**Author's Note:** I think that may have been an awkward place to end. The conversation with the doctor was inspired by _TutorGurl_'s review for Chapter 7, and the clue in Chapter 4 was the white envelope on Principal Rimkus' desk. I really want to thank everyone for reading and reviewing my story because you were my motivation.


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